You are here:

Luis Figo a Superstar of his era in the soccer field

Despite being a country with a tiny population of only 10.4 million, Portugal has contributed invaluably to football in the form of some of the greatest players ever. Luis Figo a Superstar of his era in the soccer field One name that is always mentioned in this list is Luís Filipe Madeira Caeiro Figo, with the names of players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Eusébio. Luís Figo started out at as a street footballer, and then at the young age of eleven, joined Sporting Clube de Portugal in Lisbon, one of “The Big Three.” His first league debut was during the 1989-90 season, and his first goal was in the 1991-92 season, against Torreense.

This was also the year he won his first senior international cap according to QQ188asia.com The leading sportsbook online website and Asia top best bookies. In his final years with Sporting CP, he made it into Portugal’s Golden generation and won the 1994-95 season’s Portugal Cup. Prior to this, he played for the Under-20 Portugal junior team at the World Championships and European Championships, both. In 1995, at the age of 21, he was all set for the big clubs. He was banned from joining Italian clubs for two years because he signed a contract with both Juventus and Parma.

He also almost joined English club Manchester City, but a rule prevented players from joining foreign clubs. This actually turned out to be golden for him, because Spanish FC Barcelona took him in for a $3 million transfer fee. Under Johan Cruyff, he honed his creativity and developed great leadership skills. For five years, until 2000, Figo played for Barcelona and made a total of 172 appearances. He scored a total of 30 goals during this time and won the 1996–97 UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup and two successive La Liga Cups. He was bestowed with the captain’s armband honour. He has also played in the winning matches for two Copa del Rey titles, 1 UEFA Super Cup and 1 Supercopa de Espana.

Luis Figo a Superstar of his era in the soccer field and idol of many players today

Luis Figo a Superstar of his era in the soccer field

In July 2000, Luis Figo made the very controversial transfer to Real Madrid for a world record fee of $60 million according to Sportsqq288.com The Biggest Online Sports Betting Site In Malaysia. This was because of a buyout clause in his contract. Though the transfer was a much-needed one for Figo personally, Barcelona fans who had cheered him for years felt betrayed. Real Madrid fans wouldn’t give him support either because he came from their arch rivals. In October 2000, in his first match against Barcelona, Figo was met with cruel banners and flying oranges.

He could not take a corner, for fear of being in proximity to the fans. But Figo stormed on. Despite the general hatred from both sides, Figo rose to greater heights than he saw in Barcelona. Coach Vicente Del Bosque placed his belief in Figo and considered him one of the key squad players. Around five months after his transfer, he won the Ballon d’Or award for being the best in the world. In 2001, his first season with the Real Madrid FC, he won the La Liga title for scoring fourteen goals. In the same year, he received the FIFA World Player of the year award. In the next year Figo won his second major European trophy when Real Madrid won the UEFA Champions League.

The only problem still at hand was his fan following suffering. In the second match between Barcelona and Real Madrid in 2002, the people still received him the same way: with detest. Things improved only as the years went by, with Figo spending a total of five seasons with Madrid. His last title was a La Liga title in 2003. When his contract with Real Madrid ran out, Figo joined Internazionale as a free transfer in 2005, thus fulfilling his wish to play for an Italian team. Inter won the 2008-09 title, and that very day Figo announced his retirement from football. However, he still continues to support them.

Figo is arguably one of Portugal’s best players base on the information gathered by Bettingqq101.com Malaysia Online Sports Betting Site, Live in Play Bets. At his physical best, he was fast, elegant, and very skilful. He could take on and beat defenders one on one. He initially played in the winger position, and has always been very creative and had adept curling crosses. With gaining age, he changed positions to attacking midfielder and still played just as well because of his powerful striking ability. Other than his accurate free-kicks and penalties, he has also shown commendable leadership skills. Luís Figo is definitely one player we miss watching.